The teacher was ready to hear a report from another helper, but just then the teacher received a text from the helper in American Samoa! The text said, “Coconuts…wait for it!”
It was a strange message, so the teacher decided to wait and see what information was sent from American Samoa. While they were waiting, some of the other helpers asked questions about American Samoa, is it really part of America, and how did we happen to get an island country in the South Pacific as part of our country?
The teacher explained that during the time when the major countries of the world were starting colonies, there were several major nations that wanted to control the group of island known as Samoa. In 1899 a treaty was made. Most of the islands of Samoa came under control of the German Government, and a small portion of the islands came under control of the United States and was made a U.S Territory. The United States needed the islands so that they could build a Navy Base in the harbor named Pago Pago. For several years no one knew what to call the island territory, and in 1911, the Navy allowed the people of the islands to choose a name, and they chose the name American Samoa.
During World War I a pandemic of influenza went around the world, but no one in American Samoa died from the pandemic because the Governor quickly requested ships from the United States, and anchored the ships just off the coast of the islands. Whenever anyone showed symptoms of the influenza, they were sent to the ships and had to stay there until they were completely well. This action kept the pandemic from spreading throughout American Samoa.
During World War II there were more American military people in American Samoa than there were native peoples. The native peoples helped the U.S. military during the war, and even today our military gets a higher percentage of recruits from American Samoa than from any of the States in our country.
Just then an email with many attachments came from the helper in American Samoa, and they were all about…coconuts!
The coconut tree is the most useful plant in American Samoa. Every part of the tree is used except for the roots.
The strong wood from the coconut tree is used for many things, including building their houses.
The leaves from the tree are used for many things, including making thatch for the roof on their houses, and making baskets.
The coconut itself is used for food. The ‘meat’ of the coconut can be eaten raw and it is used in many recipes. If the meat of the coconut is compressed, it produces a white liquid called ‘coconut cream’, which is used in many of their foods.
The coconut used to be used for long journeys across the sea in outrigger canoes. They did not spoil, and each nut contained food and liquid.
The husk (shell) of the coconut is used to make eating utensil and other small tools that are needed.
The fibers on the coconut shell are woven into cords, called sennit. Sennit is so strong that it is used to lash the wooden poles and beams of their houses together. When they used to travel by outrigger canoe, sennit was used to lash the outriggers onto the canoes. The salt water in the ocean does not destroy sennit.
There are also medicines, perfumes, sunscreen, and hair oils made from coconuts.
Application for you and me:
The God-Connection is found by comparing the coconut to our relationship with God. The coconut is so important to the people of American Samoa that they could not live in their traditional way without the coconut. The coconut is all-important to their way of life!
Many people in American Samoa know God, and they know that just like the coconut is at the center of their physical way of life, God is at the center of their physical life and spiritual life.
In the Bible in Philippians 4:19 it says:
And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
God is the one who meets our needs! Everything from the air we breathe to the food we eat to the house we live in ultimately comes from God! He is behind every good thing that we have in this life.
In the Bible in James 1:16-17 it says:
So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or cast a shifting shadow.
Everyone in the whole world receives the basic material gifts from God that enable us to live from day to day, but for the one who believes in Jesus (God’s Son) and who has asked Jesus to forgive their sins there is so much more! Instead of facing the punishment for our sins at the end of this life in the lake of fire, the person who believes in Jesus is forgiven and will not have to face the penalty for their sins because Jesus has paid the penalty! The forgiven people are called believers or Christians, and Jesus makes a special promise to them.
In the Bible in John 14:1-3 Jesus says:
Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in Me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with Me where I am.
What a wonderful promise! There are many in this world who do not want to believe in Jesus, they want to find a different way to heaven, or they think they can earn their way to heaven. This is not true, Jesus is the only way to get your sins forgiven and get to heaven when this life is over!
In the Bible in John 14:6 Jesus says:
I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.
Just like the people of American Samoa trust in the coconut to supply much of what they need in life, we all need to trust in God’s Son Jesus to supply everything that we need in this life and everything we need to be forgiven and have the ultimate life in heaven with Jesus after this life is over.
If you have not chosen to believe in Jesus and ask for the forgiveness of your sins, please do it today!